I was about to entitle this post “The Finish Line”. This long journey, at times, has felt like a marathon and with construction wrapping up it feels like things are somehow drawing to a close. It takes me only a second to come to my senses and realize that this is only the beginning. We’ve created the back-drop and now the real, good stuff is about to start. Last week we had the opportunity to thank our volunteers and contractors – whose hard work made so much of this possible. Check this site. The following evening we hosted a “Sneak Peak” event where we opened our doors and tested out our new espresso machines on our friends and neighbours. It was such an encouraging night for our no deposit casino team and to catch a glimpse of what real life will be once our doors are open for good. Countless people donated home-baked pies for these evenings and we are SO appreciative of their delicious contributions. These next couple weeks will see lots of finishing touches fall into place.

There has been a lot of new activity down at 541 Barton St. lately. We’ve begun installing new cabinetry, trim, tiles and even beautiful new windows. While the space is in many ways modernized and unrecognizable from a few months ago we’ve been mindful of honouring the historic charm of this beautiful building. Many of our counter surfaces are being made constructed from century-old hemlock boards and our harvest table is made from re-claimed ash wood as well. Last week we acquired a vintage deli display which we are looking forward to refurbishing to its former splendour!
While the building still smells of sawdust (a lovely fragrance, in my opinion) it is weeks away from smelling of delicious food and freshly brewed coffee! We’ve got big dreams for this project and to make those a reality we will be relying on the support of volunteers. If you’re interested in joining our team as a volunteer please send an e-mail to myself at [email protected] or to our Executive Director Sue Carr at [email protected] We would love to chat and to learn more about you! If you’re interested in partnering with us financially please see the Get-Involved page of our website.